Rugby: Chiefs plan to staunch penalty flow

Sam Cane goes past Cheetahs forward Heinrich Brussow at Waikato Stadium last Saturday.

The Chiefs are the most penalised team in the Super Rugby competition.

Just why referees are finding so many faults with the Chiefs is debatable but Chiefs and All Blacks openside flanker Sam Cane says there are a few different reasons.

"There are always three or four penalties that are 50-50 calls that can go either way in a match," Cane said.

"But the ones that are frustrating us are what we call avoidable penalties by individuals.

"Ones that are almost dumb play, things that weren't really thought about like off-sides and not rolling away in the tackle.

"(Against the Cheetahs) last week we copped about half our penalties if not more from maul defence. It was a little bit different the way Craig (Joubert) was refereeing us defending the maul with what we had encountered up until then so we had to change tactics a little bit. We have also copped a fair few penalties at scrum time the last couple of weeks as well.

"But we have to be better at changing our tactics quicker if they are not working. This week, we have discussed coming up with a plan B and a plan C if plan A is not working."

The Chiefs face the hapless Blues in a local derby on Saturday night in Hamilton that on paper should go the Chiefs way as Sir John Kirwan's team is yet to post a win after six games. The Chiefs have five wins and two losses to sit second behind the unbeaten Hurricanes in the New Zealand conference.

But Bay of Plenty Steamer Cane is not taking the Blues lightly.

"We have talked this week about what we can do. We know how hungry the Blues will be for a win and our rivalry with the Blues is right up there in terms of Super Rugby rivalries. They will want to take us on up front so we have talked about playing quite confrontationally and getting our forwards into the game early. The backs can complement the forwards' work when there are opportunities out wide.

"We have been pretty happy with the way our defence has been going. We haven't conceded too many tries and we have to have the mindset that we are defending to ultimately win the ball back off them. If you can do that then those are the best opportunities to score.

"With the type of players the Blues have got, they can cause you trouble so we have to make sure we get set early and come up off the line quickly to cut down their time and space."